The present document is based on Japanese Priority Document JP 2001-116602, filed in the Japanese Patent Office on Apr. 16, 2001, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent permitted by law.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an acoustic apparatus for listening to audio, and specifically relates to a construction of an acoustic apparatus worn on the head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional acoustic apparatuses for listening to audio while worn close to the human ear include earphones (hereinafter referred to as a first type of acoustic apparatus) which are individually inserted in both ears, headphones (hereinafter referred to as a second type of acoustic apparatus) which cover both ears entirely with both ends of a U-shaped elastic frame, flat earphones (hereinafter referred to as a third type of acoustic apparatus) to which curved ear-hooking sections are attached and which are pressed against the pinnae of both ears individually.
Of these acoustic apparatuses, in the first type of acoustic apparatus, earphones are merely inserted in the ears and are thus generally prone to falling out of the ear. Inserting the earphones firmly in order to prevent them from falling out will cause pain when used over extended periods. In addition, because the shape and size of the ear vary from person to person, some users may not be able to wear the earphones properly.
In the second type of acoustic apparatus (headphones), both ears are entirely covered by way of pressure exerted by the elastic frame constituting a lateral pressure structure, and thus may cause discomfort. In addition, there is a problem in that depending on the user""s head-size or width, the pressure differs, and the fit thus differs from user to user. Further, because the sections which cover the ears obstruct the passage of riding bows of glasses, in some cases, the headphones will need to be removed when wearing spectacles which are put on and taken off relatively frequently such as far-sighted glasses, reading glasses, or sunglasses. The second type of acoustic apparatus is thus tedious and inconvenient to use when used in conjunction with spectacles which are put on and taken off relatively frequently such as far-sighted glasses, reading glasses, or sunglasses.
In the third type of acoustic apparatus, there is a problem in that the apparatus puts a burden on the user""s ears, and as with the second type of acoustic apparatus, the ear-hooking sections obstruct the passage of riding bows of glasses.
Further, conventionally, when using a telephone, or when the user is spoken to while wearing an acoustic apparatus, there are cases in which the user would want to temporarily release the acoustic apparatus from one ear in order to listen to external sounds. In such cases, with the first type and the third type of acoustic apparatuses, taking out one of the earphones is easy, but the earphone which has been taken out will dangle due to gravity and will be in the way, and in the case of stereo models, the weight of the earphone that has been taken out may cause the other earphone to fall out. In such a case, the dangling earphone may become caught in some object, possibly resulting in wire breakage. Further, with the second type of acoustic apparatus, every time the user uses a telephone, or when the user is spoken to, the headphones need to be removed entirely, thus requiring a tedious operation on the part of the user.
It is an aspect of the present invention to provide an improvement on the second type of acoustic apparatus, and to provide an acoustic apparatus having a novel structure which enables fine adjustment of the lateral pressure structure by the user so as to optimize its fit for the user.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an acoustic apparatus with a novel structure which does not obstruct the wearing or taking off of spectacles even while the acoustic apparatus is worn on the head.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide an acoustic apparatus with a novel structure which enables releasing the acoustic apparatus from the ears temporarily (one at a time, or both at the same time) while the acoustic apparatus is worn on the head.
An acoustic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a frame member forming a lateral pressure structure, fine adjustment members which are provided on both ends of the frame member and perform fine adjustments to the lateral pressure structure, padding members which are attached to the fine adjustment members and come in contact with the surface of the head, and a sound outputting section which is installed to at least one end of the frame member.
With the construction described above, the user can perform fine adjustments to the lateral pressure of the lateral pressure structure using the fine adjustment members. A comfortable fit can thus be achieved, catering to each user""s head shape and fitting preferences during use of the apparatus.
Further, this acoustic apparatus can be worn without having the frame member and the fine adjustment member touch the pinnae or bases of the user""s ears. Therefore, it is not obstructive even during use of equipments which are frequently put on or taken off such as sunglasses and other viewing aids such as spectacles and reading glasses.
The fine adjustment member comprises, for example, at least one rod-shaped member, which possesses flexibility and plasticity, one end of which is joined to the frame member, and the other end to the padding member. Alternatively, the fine adjustment member may comprise two rod-shaped members, which possess flexibility and plasticity, and are joined to the frame member on one side, and to the padding member on the other side.